TIIK FKONTIF.lt, O’Neill, Nebraska, Thursday, March 2, 1961
Prairie I and lalk
Holt County Has Good Water
Bv ROMAINE SAllNDh-rtS. 4110 South hist St., Lincoln 6, Nebr.
The past ten years or so there has been much
talk in our Capital City of doping the city water
with a drug said to prevent t<x)th decay. Some for
it, many opposed, feeling that the Creator knew
how to make water as well as to
make grass to grow. In O’Neill
in the long ago the citizens had
their wells of water or went to
the nearest pump or water
drawn from a well in a bucket
to got it. Even before then they
washed their feet and got a jug
of water at the Elkhorn. In the
IKXO’s then? were pumps on the
business streets of the town;
one in front of Frank Camp- Romaine
I jell's place of business at what
is now Third and Douglas Saun< ere
streets. Campbell conducted his farm machine and
wagon business in the lower room of the building
that then stood there, the family living upstairs,
and all in that part of town got water at the Camp
tjcll [jump. In the block to the east about midway
were two pumps, one on the south side of the street
and one on the other side. In front of Biglins on
south Fourth street was a [jump and good fresh
water for all who came that way. In the block to
ttje east water was available at the nnmns in Ward’s
and DeYarman’s livery bams. But O’Neill was ex
panding so must have “water works.” Then the
standpipe reared its lofty heights on the hill be
tween the school house and Saint Patrick’s church.
Holt county has good water and plenty of it, as
does our state all over. But there are always those
of the genus homo that must mess things up. It will
come to a vote of the citizens of Lincoln this spring.
* * *
Two from Scotland, two from England, three
from Germany, one from Russia and one from
France friends in my part of the Capital City that
I meet from time to time. Yes, in the long ago our
dads and mothers all came from beyond the seas.
* » *
Mid February and spring like days. Snow faded
uvray, the weather indicator out in front recorded
G5 alxive zero the day this was written. Clear blue
canopy of heaven above, golden glow from the
bright orb of day as it passes hour by hour across
Prairieland, children out at play in the warm sun
shine and we old guys leave our overcoats hung up
at homo. Another week, another day or two could be
a blizzard coming our way.
* * *
There may be no one in the Capital City of our
• beef state related in any way to one who held forth
in the White House at our nation's capital in recent
times, but just five blocks away from where my
typewriter is parked dwells an elderly lady, frail
and barely able to be up and about who says she
and the wife of President Grover Cleveland were
cousins. Our land went through its greatest period
of hard times during the Cleveland administration
in the 1890's, two or three cents a dozen paid farm
women for their eggs, five cents a bushel for corn
down in the farming communities of Nebraska, and
four coming yearling calves in the cow country
brought one dollar at a public sale out in the Mineo
la neighborhood. Of course this cultured old lady
up the street didn’t know about that, she being the
charming sweetheart of a well to do gent in an
eastern city. She lives today by herself with two
daughters and their families near by. The Clevelands
gone and by most of us forgotten.
* * *
The watch upon your wrist or in your pocket
ticking away tells the time of day. The throbbing
heart beat within counts off the hours and days as
we travel life’s highway.
* * *
It was a week in February in the year I902.--Our
new Short Line railroad from Sioux City had just
got going and talk of extending it on west was
heard on every comer . . . Baling hay was a fast
expanding new industry and Neil Brenann had the
bale ties . . . Dr. Deck of Ewing was an O’Neill vi
sitor . . . You could get your tooth pulled or your
picture taken at Corbetts . . . B. E. Sturdevant of
Atkinson was in the city . . . Mr. Floyd A. Bolger
of Marengo, la., led to the altar Miss Mamie Por
ter of O’Neill . . . The soiree and musicale given by
the Young Men’s Social Club to the young ladies of
O’Neill at its club rooms in the O’Neill Bank Build
ing was a grand social success.
* * •
The spring meeting of the State Historical
Society has been set for May .7 in Omaha, when one
or two notables will be there to address the group
that gets together once a year to talk it over and eat
a two dollar dinner. The pioneer who made history
thought he was in luck if he had two bits with which
to pay for his dinner at the Arcade hotel, where
the KC hall now stands.
* * *
A shave and a hair cut at John Smoots or May
Ion Prices barher shops on South Fourth street for
35 cents. And those two tonsorial artists lived well,
owned their homes and had their “horse and buggy.”
A shave and haircut at any barber shop in Lincoln
today $2.50. And the tonsorial artists owns a comb,
shears, razor and hair clippers.
* * *
The City Dads of Omaha a day recently sent
over three buses to cart the members of our state
legislature to Omaha where they were entertained
for a time, given a good dinner and then taken back
to Lincoln. Both Senator Nelson and Senator Orme
were in the group . . . The Ak-Sar-Ben has set a
date to entertain the state senators.
Editorial
Faith In Your Banker
The third hank embezzlement in recent weeks
was revealed last week, hitting headlines in all the
daily newspapers. It was big news in eaoh instance.
Such events shake a community to the very core.
What makes them news, however, is their ex
treme rarity. If such events were commonplace,
they would be reported in little two-inch squibs
buried deep within the newspaper.
Bank officers and employees are human and
as such are subject to the failings of all the rest
of us. It is inevitable that some among this highly
moral profession should succumb to temptation.
The fact that three such cases have been dis
covered in recent weeks can only be coincidence.
Faith in banks is something we have developed over
a period of many years. In some cases, there may
be adverse feeling toward banks. We hope not.
One of the most heartening developments coming
out Of these events is the fact that the depositors,
when their savings were returned, PUT THOSE
SAVINGS RIGHT BACK INTO ANOTHER BANK!
This we believe to be a fitting tribute to the
banking industry. People still have faith in them,
believe in them to the degree that they will re
deposit their savings immediately, in the most
powerful economic force in any community—the
bank.
Banking in small towns is a peculiar institution.
Probably no one knows you better than your banker.
He is a shrewd, hard-working man who works be
side you on community projects, coffees with you
during the day and sits beside you in church come
Sunday. It is his foresight, his faith in the future of
you and your community, that gives you the con
fidence to go ahead with your plans.
The banker provides us with the means to
build homes, factories, even churches . . . provides
us with faith in our future.
The events of recent weeks has not dampened
our respect for the banking institution. On the con
trary ... it has sharpened our appreciation of the
importance of the bank and the people who run it.
It has made us realize that in our community the
banks have been here day after day for many years
discharging their duties faithfully and with faith in
us . . . and we have taken them for granted.
Your banker is a busy man. During the day he
may be providing a loan to a businessman, far
mer or rancher, making out deposit slips or helping
a schoolboy start a savings account. He often spends
his off-duty hours working with civic enterprises
and community affairs.
But he’ll be pleased if you stop by, shake his
hand and express your gratitude for the faith he
has had in you. Tell him of your confidence in him,
his bank, his organization. Why not do it today?
You’ll be glad you did.
You Can't Create Money
In the months to come it is a safe bet that much
w 11 be heard about such things as adverse balance
of payments, loss of gold, the value of the dollar,
prices and foreign competition, all of which to the
average person will be highly confusing. Adding to
th" co 'fusion is the fact that this county “went off
the gol 1 standard" many years ago. What this meant
was that private citizens were no longer able to
con'-e-t “paocr money” into $20 gold pieces or other
oV. < ir.s. However, government is required to hold
$12 billion of gold as backing for currency in circula
tion. Some believe that gold should now be removed
altogether as backing for the currency. This is a
question that will be debated in months to come.
Wrapped up in this one issue is the future stability of
governments throughout the world and society in
general.
About 20 years ago a book was published en
titled “The Promises Men Live By.” Its author,
Harry Scherman, endeavored in simple language
to explain the economic facts of modem life. His
thoughts are pertinent today. Real money has always
been—and still is—a tangible and useful form of
wealth. Contrary to popular belief, government
cannot create money. Money, in the thousands of
years of human history, has taken strange and
fascinating forms. In the early Greek world a hand
ful of roasting spits became known as a drachma, a
unit of money. In our history tobacco was used as
money as were Indian blankets in the Far West.
All of these things were of tangible value. While it
may come as a shock, the green pieces of paper
that we all now work so hard to obtain are not
money. In the words of Mr. Scherman, “Even the
wealthiest man nowadays own no money . . . What
we handle, what we deal in, what we say we own,
consists almost entirely of promises to pay money
—promises made by our government or by our
central banks . . . The indisputable fact about our
modern world is that everything else we use as
money can so be used only because it consists, at
one or more removes, of promises to deliver gold
in a stated weight and of a stated fineness . . . For
about three thousand years . . . the use of silver
and gold has been spreading over the earth until . . .
they have become the predominant money of all
the more civilized communities.”
mi__ r __ . __ -» .1 • 1 f 11 * I
a ijv, iuoiuij Ui muucr^ emu uic nac anu iaii ui
nations and societies, makes two elemental facts
grimly clear. Among private citizens the “promises
men live by” in the realm of economics and money
are rarely violated. The history of governments in
the same area is a sadly different story. Centuries
ago, rulers “clipped” and “sweated” coins to cheat
their subjects. In modern times behind the intricacies
of finance and credit the long-term record of govern
ment is no better. When men act in the name of
government, in the view of Mr. Scherman, ordinary
moral standards that govern private citizens do
not apply. And he backs up his view with a wealth
of facts. His advice is to make “an untiring effort
to understand the economics of this world in which
you live and neither be content nor discouraged
until, in honesty, you can feel that your compre
hension is not too unclear.”
That is a large order but as the experts find
the authorities expound their ideas on what to do
about these strange new problems of international
payments and gold, the least we can do is try.
Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona writes:
“The ivory tower visionaries who produce the blue
prints for the superstate, refuse to take into account
the differences between men.
“If government is to be truly the servant of the
people and not their master, we must never per
mit ourselves to presume that because something is
good for one man it is good for all men.”
Frontiers 1
50 YEARS AGO
M. F. Harrington of O’Neill has
filed a complaint with state .rail
way commission against discon
tinuance of trains between Long
Pine and Norfolk Junction. . .
Presbyterian church choir pre
sents third annual song recital. .
.Born to Mr. and Mrs. John Col
man of Inman, an eight pound
Ooy.
25 YEARS AGO
Charles Wrede jr., 66, a pio
neer in this county, dies Febru
ary 22 after illness of several
months. . .Applications for old
age assistance are now being ta
ken at county assistance offiqe.
. .Period of extereme cold has
had county it its grip 36 days,
many hardships suffered. . .W. J.
Froelich, who was snowbound
here for several days, leaves for
Chicago.
10 YEARS AGO
Guy Coles and John Conards
of Emmet return from two weeks’
trip in Texas. Louisana and Mex
ico. . .Spelts-Ray Lumber com
pany office burglarized by tran
sient who receives reformatory
sentence. . .Overflow crowd at
tends 10th annual Holt County
Breeders’ sale with 60 head sel
ling for $32,750.
5 YEARS AGO
Fred O. Robertson, 70, retires
from Consumers. . .Mr. and Mrs.
George Pongratz of Emmet cele
brate 50th wedding anniversary.
. .Leonard Martz, 80, retired
Lynch farmer, dies February 19.
. .Major General Guy Her.inger
to visit O’Neill to inspect pos
sible sites for national guard ar
mory. . .Mr. and Mrs. T. E.
Newhouse of Chambers purchase
Wink Drnff store
The Long Ago
At Chambers
50 years ago
Josephine Lienhart will teach
school at Lynch. . .R. J. Starr
has rented part of the old Hub
bard hotel and will run an im
plement house there. . Mr. Wry
is having his tenant house fixed
over and as soon as it is finished
Dr. Bernard will move in. . .Char
ley Graham started Monday to
Norfolk with a load of goods for
Guy Alderson.
25 YEARS AGO
Florine Marie Martensen, 5
years old, dies February 16 from
burns and shock suffered when
her clothing catches fire. . .Coun
ty Assistance Committee passes
resolution barring from all forms
of public assistance all persons
patronizing beer and liquor stores
or frequenting card rooms. . .
W. D. Reinger, Clair Grimes and
John Walter sr. are nominated
at village caucus.
DR. D. E. DAVID
OPTOMETRIST
Complete Visual Care
Contact Lenses
By Appointment Phone 2101
Spencer, Nebraska
'apifol Hews -
Legislature's Budget Committee
Details Spending of $7 Million
By Melvin Paul
Statehouse Correspondent
The Nebraska Press Association
LINCOLN—The Legislatures of
the future may take a good look
at the problem of distributing
bills introduced. Requests for the
copies often result in a shortage
of printed legislative (bills for sen
ators.
State Sen. Hans Jensen of Au
rora raised this question and sug
gested that those wanting the
copies pay a $2.50 fee. He feels
this would eliminate half th;1 re
quests and assure that sufficient
copies of bills would be available
for senators. The budget commit
tee is studying the problem.
But Sen J. W. Burbach of Crof
ton said he doesn’t think a fee
would be proper at this stage of
the session but would be a good
idea for “future consideration.”
Sen. Harold Stryker of Rising
City said perhaps a solution
would be that those requesting
copies of bills go through their
state senators. Some solons say
they get a request that says:
“Send me everything that is
free.”
There are some 1,300 individu
als and firms on mailing lists
who receive free copies of pro
posed legislation. In the 1959 ses
sion 17,300 pounds of bills alone
were mailed to those on the lists,
plus 7,471 pounds of copies of dai
ly proceedings of the Legislature.
There are 12 full time employ
es in the legislative bill room
for the first two months of the
session. This drops to seven for
the remainder of the six-month
long meeting.
Park Bill
T7»_i ~ l^i.
•i. vyv UA JA V^AAA b V/A U AW» AAAAAA.V »«
vering in the Legislature on the
question of a sales and income
tax is a bill to increase the state
property tax levy for parks.
This proposal was hung up in
committee for some time as sa
les taxers successfully blocked
attempts to get it reported to the
floor for debate.
They tried to tie the .22 of a
mill increase to a sales and in
come tax, thus providing it would
be effective only if a sales or in
come tax were enacted by the
Legislature. But this failed. By a
5-3 vote, the committee sent the
bill to the floor where there is ex
pected to be some more wrang
ling over its relationship to a
broadened tax base.
The committee did amend the
bill, earmarking .04 of a mill
for development of a park and
recreation area along the Inter
state highway between Grand Is
land and North Platte.
The game commission has put
a price tag of $1.2 million on
development of the interstate
parkway.
Present guesses are the .35 le
vy would raise $11 million in the
next 10 years to boost the state’s
park and recreation program.
Nearly a million dollars is ex- '
pected to be spent during the 10
years for a 1,500 to 2,500-acre
park in the vicinity of the Mis
souri River.
Capitol Punishment.
If the Legislature passes a bill
to abolish capital punishment
Gov. Frank Morrison says he
won’t veto it. But, he says, his
thinking is still fluid on the mat
ter of whether he favors or does
not favor capital punishment—
that is, execution of criminals
convicted by courts of first de
gree murder.
Morrison says he thinks life im
prisonment is much more severe
than electrocution because it de
prives a person of his liberty. He
said he has not been shown any
evidence that the death penalty
prevents murder.
The governor commented after
he and Secretary of State Frank
Marsh voted to change the death
sentence of Luther Wesley Wilson
of Omaha to life imprisonment.
Morrison said one of the func
tions of the pardon board of
which he is chairman, and Marsh
and Atty, Gen. Clarence Meyer,
members, is to equalize punish
ments. Meyer voted against
changing the death sentence for
Wilson.
Spending
The Legislature’s budget com
mittee has come up with a more
detailed analysis of proposed
spending outlined by bills before
the Unicameral. The total is $7
million, of which $3.6 million
would come from state taxes.
Spending, its relationship to the
state property tax for support of
state government and whether the
tax base should consist of sales
and income taxes are among the
most pressing items up for con
sideration by lawmakers this ses
sion.
License Plates
Some motorists aren’t sure
whether they like the stickers in
stead of new license plates this
WHAT QUALITY!
WHAT BEAUTY!
WHAT A PRICE!
I WHAT A SAVING!
F
| Kea/ /y67 |
FREE LIVE DEMONSTRATION
IN OUR STORE
DANKERT'S SERVICE
610 East Douglas Chambers
O’Neill
Phone 410-W Phone TV 2-2101
year. But a Legislative commit
tee was certain it did not like
the proposed bill that would have
authorized a luminescent back
ground for license plates. Nor did
the Public Health and Miscella
neous subjects committee want
plates to be issued not more than
once every three years nor less
than once every five years. Both
bills were killed. Renewal tabs
would have been handed out if
the latter proposal were adapted.
Verdigre News
By Vac Randa
James J. Chalupnik, one of
Verdigre’s pioneer business busi
ness men, recently purchased the
160-acre farm from Mrs. Eliza
beth A. Walker, which adjoins
Verdigre on the south just across
the Verdigre Creek. Mr. Chalup
nik pliins to landscape this farm
and divide it into lots and small
plots where they may be used to
build homes.
A meeting was held Monday
night at the Yankton Masonic
temple. Attending the meeting
from here and Niobrara were Dr.
V. A. Walstrom, Alvin Foster
man, L. O. Marshall, Walter Dob
richovsky, Vac Randa, Kirk
Snowden and Dale Jones.
Ionic Lodge No. 87, AF & AM
held “Guest Night” honoring the
birthday of Mason George V*ash
ington February 22 at the Nio
brara Masonic Temple which was
filled to capacity with Masons
and their guests. Worshipful Mas
ter Howard Mayberry gave the
welcome. L. Kocina introduced
the two speakers, Arden Uhlir
of Verdigre, Star Farmer of
America, and O. W. Samuelson,
of Omaha.
A film was shown on Lafay
ette, during colonial days. Walt
Dobrichovsky showed two films,
one of Niobrara Centennial and
one of Verdigre Lord’s Acre par
ade. A buffet sup[>er was served.
ROYAL THEATER
Thurs. Mar. *
Family Nit© - Entire Family $1-00
“THE FASTEST GIJN ALIVE”
Glenn Ford - Jeanne Crain
Broderick Crawford
Fri.-Sat. Mar. *4
Edgar Allan Poe’s the evil
“HOUSE OF USHER”
Sun.-Mon.-Tues. Mar. 5-8-7
“THE FACTS OF IJFE”
Bob Hope - Lucille Ball
Wed. Thurs. Mar. 8 #
Family Nit© - Entire family $1-00
“APRIL LOVE”
Pat Boone - Shirley Jones
Cinemascope - Color by Deluxe
Ponton Insurance
Insurance of All Kiads
and Bonds
FLORENCE PONTON, Prop.
Phone 11X1_Golden Bldg
PUBLIC AUCTION
I will sell the following personal property at public auction at my
home located at 522 North 1st St. (1st street east of bowling alley and 5
blocks north) in O'Neill, Nebraska on
SATURDAY, MARCH 4
Sale starts at 2 p.m.
• • * • ■ ■
Gas range GE Washing machine
Coronado refrigerator-freezer com
bination less than a year old and in
excellent shape
Kitchen table and 4 chairs Fruit jars
Kitchen cabinet Wash tubs
Ironing board Telephone stand
Complete set cooking utensns, ana
dishes Living Room Set
End table and lamps TV trays
Bedroom set and mattress Buffet
New % size rollaway bed
Coffee table Living room rug
Several throw rugs
Many miscellaneous items
Other persons wishing to sell property on this sale are invited to bring
the items to the above address prior to sale time.
TERMS: CASH. No property to be removed until settled for.
LOUIS NILES, °wner
Verne Reynoldson, auctioneer Virgil Laursen, clerk
Houu much Is
Truck Set
Tu VOIIR
It’s impossible to pin down in dollars and cents. But con
sider the value in these terms: What good would your farm prod
ucts be to you if you couldn’t get them to market? Even if you
could get them to market some other way, how much less would
you have to take because they were not fresh enough to bring top
prices?
Consider, too, the tools, feed, fertilizer, implements and other
necessities for farming. Chances are they came by truck. The same
is true of the luxuries that make life more pleasant Your television
set, washing machine, hi-fi, newspaper — the list is endless.
How much is all this worth to your county? Trucks serve
in so many ways it’s impossible to compute the exact value. But
one thing is certain — trucks are the vital force that assures pros
perity for this county — your county — and every other county in
the state of Nebraska.
On* W a I*Hm W <Urfrtnm*n(i l»r*p*r*rf hr
NESRASKA MOTOR CARRIERS' ASSOCIATION. 500 SMrtli 13th Str**t. LINCOLN. HWRASB*
This Space Paid For By
O’NEILL TRANSFER
JOHN TURNER Daily Service O'Neill-Omaha PHONE 578
